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Who are we if we are not our bodies,
nor our self-talk? Who are we if we are not our memories,
nor our
expectations? We attempted to address the abstractions of human experience,
asking,
"What are the organizing principles of our lives?"
Part 1:
Visions 1, 2 and 3
Part 3:
Visions 7, 8 and 9
This is Part 2 of an article about our early investigations
into the experience of integrity. We found that this
experience seems to integrate all values, actualized and potential, in a
harmonic and dynamic whole, providing simultaneous inspiration, motivation
and guidance. Integrity seems to underlie the applications of our systemic coaching.
We called it the Soul of Soulwork.
Summary of Part 2
This is part 2 of 3, combining Dr Gregory Bateson's “logical
types” and Dr Clare Graves’ “values theory” as models for understanding the
evolution of human identity in nine levels. Part 1 describes the first three
types of identity “from the inside
out”, in a developmental sequence, this will describe the next three levels, and
part 3 describe the final three.
We ask, "What are the organizing principles
of our lives?" Our best answer now (1995) is that this principle is a
pre-verbal experience of integrated connectedness. Although we cannot
adequately describe it; we can coach most adults to experience it ...
we often call it Vision, Integrity or Soul.
Vision 4: Our Society must be Secure
I live in a rational world
and I want to participate in a stable and secure economy. I belong to an
orderly society based on duty, obedience and discipline.
Our society maintains order by conforming to the
written will of higher authorities. We earn rewards by hard work and
discipline. We bring order to our world, because we know what is right
and what is wrong. We expect you to be righteous and we punish wrongdoers.
I am reasonable. I value the traditions of my society,
I believe in the Truth and I obey the authorities. We maintain a just
society with structured institutions and absolute rules. I crusade
against wrong beliefs, lawlessness and non-compliance.
Look for me in fundamental
religions and absolute governments. See me in regimented organizations like
military and prison services and some religious movements. Look for me in the
anti-abortion movement and in conservative, socialist and fundamental societies.
See me in old institutions like banking, insurance and education. Look for me
regulating your morals and enforcing national boundaries.
At my worst I can be an
intolerant fanatic, dehumanizing other societies so that we can invade and
convert them. I may take drugs to sedate or tranquilize myself.
At my best I am stable,
reliable and dutiful with a strong sense of justice. I am committed to Law,
Order and Traditions. I am systematic and organized. I am part of "the
backbone of society".
We must obey the legislated
commands of higher authority. We have rigid rules for structure and rank.
We must stay in our rightful places and accept our superior's decisions.
I distrust innovation.
We must deserve our security and later rewards. All
wrongdoers are punished, sooner or later. We want rigid chains of command
with titled positions. We must be told what to do and we prefer written
instructions with relevant details.
Manage me consistently and fairly. Be an authority,
give me written rules so that I can be dutiful. Record your orders
in memos for later praise or blame.
I am stressed by ambiguity and change. I condemn
or avoid people who violate the Rules, or the intent of the rules.
Do not insult our country, our institutions or our heritage. Do not
defile our flags or symbols. Do not criticize our government. Do not
violate the chain-of-command.
My religion tells me man's purpose and guides our
lives with laws, duties and standards. We must avoid sin
and honor our God, our rulers and our country.
Teach me the truth following a strict outline. Make me
memorize and repeat facts to discipline my mind. I learn best when I am
reprimanded for my errors. I believe "Spare the rod and spoil the
child". Use collective punishments or rewards to bring us
together. Dictate my ethics and prescribe my conduct. Give me class
pictures and certificates. Leave me no room to doubt, challenge or
question your authority.
Help me do right to avoid guilt and punishment. Tell me
about future rewards and how my sacrifices can benefit my children and
my society.
Sometimes I would like my
rewards now. Sometimes I want be a Boss.
Example of Level 4 Indoctrination:
UK Scout Creed: I promise
on my honor to do my best to do my duty to God and the Queen, to help
other people and to obey the Scout Law.
UK Scout Law: Trusty, loyal, helpful, brotherly,
courteous, kind, obedient, smiling, thrifty, clean in body and mind.
Vision 5: I must Succeed!
The world is a marketplace, rich in natural and human
resources, with many opportunities for profit. I can manipulate my world
by skillfully using money and politics. I am a trader.
I manipulate natural and
human resources. I create distribution channels. I use technology to
escape limitations and control my future. I use all my time and energy to
succeed. I plan complex tactics and I enjoy taking calculated risks. I play
political games and I will enjoy manipulating you.
I revere competence and I enjoy power. I motivate myself
with rewards and status. I promote a consumer society, saying that “Free
Market competition” makes me continuously improve my products ...
or at least my marketing.
My thinking is basic wisdom in industrial nations.
People like me create and run most large non-government
industries. Many Central European countries are imitating me and
the Russians and Chinese may follow.
Look for me in hi-tech and high status industries.
Find me in sales, marketing and advertising. See me playing political
games. Look for me in rapidly expanding businesses. See me start small
and grow fast. Read my success stories. Look for me with early
ulcers, heart attacks, emotional breakdowns and burnout. Emulate me.
At my worst I am selfish and greedy. I will swindle
you and I will do almost anything for money. I will sell
you what you do not need and laugh when you are gone. I may take drugs
to stay alert, to do more work or to feel better.
At my best I create win-win
goals and I work hard to achieve them. I will help my community if it
directly benefits me.
The boss makes decisions and my position gives me
status. I want to be promoted and I love to compete. I
enjoy "office politics" and manipulating people. Tell me the
payoff! Show me how I profit! Show me a personal advantage!
My manager must be smart and
competitive. Teach me state of the art methods. Show me how to be more
successful. Challenge me to improve. Give me opportunities to create
competitive advantage. Reward my achievements. I am motivated by money,
perks, status and prestige.
Do not block my goals. Do not put down profit or
capitalism. Do not talk about collective ownership or socialism. Do not
criticize my methods. Do not deny my rewards or try to make me change.
Do not anger influential people or cost me competitive advantage.
Above all, do not talk about failure.
My religion motivates me by opening networks and
preaching success. My God is a businessman with whom I can make a deal.
I build self-worth by winning and I create peace of mind through
materialism.
Teach me by trial and error, and use competitive hi-tech
games. I like to take things apart and make something better. I like
competitions and I want to associate with winners. I learn best through
my own effort, with some risk and lots of variety. Motivate me with
rewards and prestige!
Sometimes I would like to really get to know people.
Sometimes material success is not enough and I want to enjoy community
and quality of life. Sometimes I worry about how long our resources
will last.
Vision State 5 “T”
shirt: Whoever dies with the most toys, wins!
Vision 6: Community Members must Agree!
My community is my world. Effective people can
join in community to live in harmony. Let us work together to
contribute to our community. I want to feel good about my group. I want to be
accepted and valued by my community. We want to feel needed.
We want to talk about freeing people from poverty.
We want to discuss how to eliminate war, racism and chauvinism. I will
contribute my time and effort to meetings about these important topics.
We strive for an ideal society which can provide
all the special needs of our community. We can achieve this ideal
society through persuasion, politics and legal mandate. We want
consensus decisions and united group effort.
Remember us in the counterculture and antiwar
movements? Look for us now in liberal politics and community charities.
See us in the helping and teaching professions. Look for
us in North American, European and Japanese politics.
We are not particularly motivated by power, money
or status, but we can enjoy and use these resources. We are concerned
about equal rights, social services and humanitarian programs. We want
collective agreement and communal norms.
At our worst we are overly idealistic and ineffective.
We do not produce concrete results. We covertly influence group members
through peer pressure. We may take "soft" drugs that reduce
stress and amplify our group feelings and togetherness.
At our best we strive for quality interpersonal
relations and social responsibility. We want a community of equals
for mutual benefit. We want group decisions and frequent communication
with everybody involved. We are sensitive to people's feelings and
needs. We like to talk about organizational harmony.
Manage us by being a collegial friend who understands
our feelings. Be human, show us your feelings and care for our group
members. Feelings are more important than tasks. Reassure us when we
fail. Talk to us about joint ventures where we can contribute together
and share mutual benefits. Avoid trying to persuade us to increase your
profits and production.
We want supportive relationships. We want everybody
to participate and be involved. We want consensus decisions. We accept
human weaknesses as we build positive relationships. We are stressed
by conflicts that divide the group. Do not put down our ideals. Do not
ignore us. Do not be aggressive. Above all, do not hurt or deny our
feelings.
Our religion supports people through community,
demands that we contribute to our society and helps us distribute
resources. Our God is our highest ideal of community destiny.
Teach us by experience. We learn by watching and relating
to people. Help us explore feelings and share experiences.
We welcome authorities who support our group - but we
can be very intolerant to outsiders! We learn by cooperation and we are
not interested in competition. We are motivated by the mutual support
in our group, and groups that align with us.
Sometimes I would like to complete projects without so
much discussion and delays. Sometimes I would like to be free to learn and
to develop my own systems ...
Soulwork Systemic Coaching
We hope you find these descriptions useful. Researching them
was instructive to us, and we now find it easier to appreciate, understand and
communicate with people who prefer different values. The prior article in
this series is Visions 1, 2 and 3, and
the final article is Visions 7, 8 and 9.
Do You Want Results?
Plagiarism is theft. Copyright © June 1995-2011 Martyn Carruthers
& Janelle Doan All rights reserved.
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